KLEM News AM Update August 9, 2010

As of 5 a-m, about two-thousand Sioux City customers of MidAmerican Energy were without power. That's about half the original outage map report at eight last night. Sioux Gateway Airport reported a peak wind gust of 41 miles an hour during the storm.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for southwestern Plymouth County about 6:30 last night. The storm warning was the southeastern part of the county within the next hour. The warning was allowed to expire at eight p-m.

Hinton firefighters responded to a report of an electrical pole on fire around 7:30 last night. The fire call was southwest of Hinton near the Woodbury/Plymouth County line at the intersection of 330th Street and K-22.

A peak wind gust of 28 miles an hour was recorded at KLEM just before seven last night. The rainfall from the storm was .52 of an inch.

The power of the winds was known before the storm hit the SIoux City area.

Due to high winds, some campers were overturned at the Lewis and Clark Recreation area in Yankton. Some nearby residents were also affected. There were reports of injuries.

A Yankton radio station reported more than an inch and a half of rain in about 15 minutes.

(Associated Press contributed to this story)

Merrill school building future to be discussed tonight

(LE MARS)--The future plans for an elementary school building that's closed will be discussed by the Le Mars Community School Board of Education tonight (Monday).

The discussion, which is NOT listed as an action item, follows an inquiry by members of the Merrill community about Kissinger Elementary School. The Board of Education closed the Merrill attendance center at the end of the last school year.

The Board will consider an application for federal funds for Title 1 to be used for math and reading at Gehlen Catholic and at Le Mars Community Elementary Schools. The grant amounts anticipated are about 262-thousand dollars and cover staff as well as supplies, equipment and testing.

The board will consider a three-year agreement with the Le Mars Arts Council for use of school facilities for Arts Council programs, the annual report from the Superintendent as well as bus specs and bidding procedures.

The meeting is open to the public and begins at 7:30 tonight at the Education Service Center.

(Current agenda is not available from the District's website)

New Siouxland College option

(South Sioux City)--Residents of the Sioux City area will soon have a new option in higher education. Classes start in ten days at the new College Center at South Sioux City. The school's first building was dedicated last week. College President Bill Path says the Industrial Training Building will hold classes in drafting and industrial tech programs.

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(As above) "We've been working on the project to have a stronger presence for about seven years now, so this is really quite a milestone for us to have our first permanent building in South Sioux City," Path says. "This'll be the first of many, as I predict." The second building is due to open in the Spring of 2011. Path says this is a first-of-its-kind effort in higher education to share partnership 50-50 between two entities: Northeast Community College of Norfolk, Nebraska, and Wayne State College in Wayne.

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(As above) "The College Center, the main building in Sioux Sioux City, will be owned and operated by both institutions jointly," Path says, "and the freshman-sophomore courses will all be offered by Northeast and all the junior-senior level courses will be offered by Wayne State." Also, Northeast will offer all of the industrial and vocational classes while Wayne State will offer the graduate-level courses. The facilities are on a 57-acre site donated by the South Sioux City Community Development Agency. Path says they expect steady growth in what he's calling a "commuter campus."

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(As above) "We are not planning dormitories in our development," Path says. "We are not planning sports arenas or bell towers or anything like that. It's really a no-frills operation. It's designed for busy students who have jobs or who are commuters and need to find quick access to classes on days, evenings and weekends. That's what we plan on offering." As the numbers grow, he says, so will the number of classes and facilities. Classes begin at the Industrial Training Building on August 16th. (News report by Radio Iowa)

Ex-Neb. jail worker faces trial on drug charges

DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) The former medical supervisor at the Dakota County jail has been ordered to stand trial on drug charges.

Jackie Heaton of South Sioux City faces three counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count each of attempt to fraudulently obtain a controlled substance and attempt to unlawfully procure a controlled substance. The 39-year-old has pleaded not guilty.

A jury trial has been scheduled for Aug. 26 in Dakota County District Court.

Court documents say Heaton used a county credit card to buy drugs prescribed to a discharged inmate for personal use between September 2009 and May 2010. The prescriptions cost a total of $60.

Jail director Terry Kern told a newspaper that Heaton no longer works there.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The proposal that'll be taken up during Monday's commission meeting was made possible through a state law that went into effect July 1.

The law requires municipalities to pass ordinances to allow Sunday and Memorial Day sales. It also makes standard the times alcohol can be sold, allowing off-sale and on-sale beer, wine and liquor sales from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.

The proposal before the city commission would move the cut off for alcohol sales from midnight to 2 a.m. and allow sales on Memorial Day.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Iowa lawyer swims English Channel on 2nd attempt

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A Des Moines lawyer has become the first American to both climb Mt. Everest and swim the English Channel.

Charlie Wittmack crossed the 21-mile channel on Sunday. He swam from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in about 12 hours.

He's only the fourth person in the world to achieve the rare sports double that adventurers call ``a peak and pond.''

Wittmack attempted to cross the channel in 2008 but had to stop after nearly freezing to death.

The 33-year-old climbed Mt. Everest in 2003.

Up next for Wittmack? Now that he's swam the channel, he's off to finish the next legs of the World Triathlon.

He plans to bike from France to India, then run from Calcutta, India, to the base camp of Mt. Everest in Nepal.

5 Iowa relatives deploy to Afghanistan

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) Five members of an Iowa family will be among the Iowa National Guard soldiers deploying to Afghanistan this week.

Four of Linda Purdue's children and one of her nephews will head out as part of one of the largest deployments in state history.

Purdue, herself a major in the National Guard, is staying home this time around.

But she says it's comforting to know that her children and nephew will have each other to rely on.

All five are carrying the same memento attached to their wallets a family photo with everyone dressed in their uniforms that was taken on July 4th.

Crash near Fairbank ethanol plant leaves 2 dead

FAIRBANK, Iowa (AP) Two Fairbank men are dead after the car they were riding in crashed into a natural gas line at an ethanol plant.

Authorities say 49-year-old Brad William Higgins died at the scene of Friday's crash. The car's driver, 23-year-old Corey Allen Annis, died Saturday.

The Iowa State Patrol says it appears that Annis lost control of the Pontiac Firebird, sending the car into a ditch, where it rolled several times.

The car then slammed into a fence at the Hawkeye Renewables ethanol plant and ruptured a gas line.

The ethanol plant was evacuated as crews sealed the gas leak. Gas service to the plant was restored by Saturday evening. No other injuries were reported.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Woods Funeral Home in Fairbank.

Law calls for removal of 500 supervisors

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Information obtained by The Des Moines Register shows an Iowa law will require the removal of more than 500 government supervisors to meet a ratio of 15 workers for every manager.

In a copyright story in Sunday's newspaper, the Register finds that eliminating so many supervisors could violate some national standards.

Some management experts say it's unworkable, noting that no other state comes close to such a ratio. Texas comes closest, with a 1 to 11 ratio.

State employee unions pushed for the law, and Danny Homan of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees says it makes sense. He argues that if a teacher can supervise 25 6-year-olds, then one manager can oversee 15 state employees.